Korean Job Discussion Forums

[branbuddy]

Hello.

Last August I slipped on a puddle of water at work and, long story short, have torn my knee cartilage (meniscus).

I do believe I am going to have to have some sort of an operation and am wondering if anyone here has had surgery here in Korea?

I have looked at the http://seoul.usembassy.gov/health.html and there is a list of hospitals. But I want to know about any personal experiences.

If anyone has had this kind of operation it would be great to hear from you.

I am a bit nervous, in general. I have had experiences with international clinics, both horrid and good.

Thanks for your time!

[ttompatz]

[runlikegump]

I'll extol the virtues of Korean surgeons til the end of days. I spent 5 days in the Sinchon Yonsei Hospital in Seoul in January - the hospital is in the same network as the Severance, but without the heavy fees of an "international clinic" - I had my gallbladder out, and despite speaking no Korean, had an excellent experience. The staff were efficient and professional - the doctor spoke a ton of English, as most doctors do, and the nurses speak enough to get their point across. I ended up paying around a million won of the total bill of 2.7. I'm not absolutely certain, but I think they have an ortho on staff there too, as I saw posters on the wall of the waiting room for knee and hip replacements.
Too bad about your knee - I had mine scoped a few years ago to clean out some cartilage - makes for an uncomfortable rehab time. But, better than hobbling around in chronic pain. Good luck.

[SeoulShakin]

I tore my lateral meniscus three years ago, and had to have surgery for it (in Canada). There are two ways they can do the operation, so be sure to ask about which is your best option. They can either remove the bit of cartilege (sp?) that is torn if it is small enough and in the thin area, or they can repair it if it's a big enough tear that is in the thick part of the cartilege that has blood flow.

My tear was huge, and went from the thin to the thick part. They did a repair on mine, and basically stitched the torn meniscus back together. The recovery time for a repair is MUCH longer than for a removal. If it is removed, the recovery time is about a week or two. For my repair, I was completely stuck in bed for a month, and then could use crutches with NO WEIGHT on it for another month, then to one crutch, then to a cane, all the while doing extensive physiotherapy.

The benefit to the repair is that if it takes, you will be able to have a normal, functional knee for likely the rest of your life. If they remove it, the recovery is faster, but you're more likely to get arthritis, and have a hard time getting down to play with your kids (if you have them, or want them in the future).

I had the repair and though the recovery was long, it healed really well. Unfortunately last year, I re-tore it while messing around during a paintball fight, and it got really swollen, and locked again. I went to the Yonsei Severance hospital, and the orthopaedic surgeon there was really great. He said I did retear it, but wanted to wait and see if it would heal itself before he operated again. Low and behold, 3 weeks later I could walk again. It healed itself up.

If you have any questions about the surgery and what I went through, I hope I can help.

[SeoulShakin]

Also, my orthopaedic surgeon at home is the head surgeon in my province. He's a top guy, and has a lot of people waiting to get in to see him. When I was home last year, after I re-tore it, I went to see him and he said that I was lucky to be in Korea when it happened. He said Korean orthopaedic surgeons are quite good, and that he knows a few in Seoul who actually studied under him in Canada. I think you are in good hands. If you are in Seoul, I would recommend the Yonsei Severance hospital. It may be more expensive, but from what I could tell when I was there, the quality of care is quite good. I also like that they waited on the operation, and didn't push it on me for the money. They said if it healed, to just be gentle on it until it was normal again, and if it didn't get any better, he would operate. I like doctor's that don't push procedures on you.

[Optimus Prime]

Koreans are great surgeons and dentists because they grow up using metal chopsticks.

[branbuddy]

Wow! Thanks for all the quick responses.

I feel a bit better now about having the surgery here in Korea.
I'll check out the places mentioned and see what they have to say.

Thanks again everyone!

[JustJohn]

I just had surgery on my finger a few weeks ago. Ruptured the tendon playing basketball.

It's been a generally positive experience so far, but they tell me there's a chance it won't heal completely. And after insurance it only cost me ~300,000 so far. Oh, but it did hurt something fierce the night after the surgery.

[faster]

I tore my lateral meniscus over ten years ago playing rugby. Mine was repaired via arthroscopy, and healed completely (biodegradable tacks were involved, pretty cool).

In the US it cost over $13,000 in 1996.

That information about the $1000 ACL repair (a much more invasive surgery) is mind-boggling. Almost makes me want to go endanger myself on the rugby field some more.

[SeoulShakin]

Mine was repaired via arthroscopy as well. I have two tiny tiny scars that are only visible if you are actively searching for them. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

[kimcheechochy]

Please follow my advice below. I know what I am talking about. I made some very terrible mistakes with my knee that I will regret for the rest of my life.

First of all, the meniscus is HUGELY important. It is ring-shaped cartilage that acts as a cushion between your femur and tibia. You don't want to mess around with this. The tear can be small or large. Large tears can have deterimental effects on your knee later on. You should consider this to be a major surgery. It is very possible that you will be in more pain after meniscal surgery. The outcome of this surgery may affect how active you are later in life. Anybody that argues with me doesn't know what they are talking about.

If you want to get it done in Korea, first I would go to the international clinic at Yonsei, and ask that American doctor if he knows of any good knee surgeons in Yonsei and consult with that guy. Then go to Asan hospital international clinic and ask that doctor (Dr. Kwok) if he knows a good surgeon, and go to that surgeon in Asan. I have heard that Bin Sung Il at Asan is very good. But I only heard this, and haven't talked to any of his patients. So maybe he is not "good". I don't know. Then, go to a third that you have heard about. Maybe Samsung hospital? Yup, 3 guys. This surgery is VERY important. The treatment options for a particular problem can vary widely among surgeons. If they all tell you the same thing, great. MAKE SURE YOU GET AN MRI BEFORE THE SURGERY. Choose a big, reputable hospital and get it done there if you want. Don't worry about the cost. Just choose the best doctor.

A better idea is to GO HOME and get this procedure done. IF something goes wrong in Korea (and believe me, things can go very wrong) you will have NO support system in Korea to help you out. Don't worry about your job. There will always be a job for you in Korea, and your employer WILL understand that you have to leave. If I were you, I would buy a SOLID PLASTIC kneebrace with HINGES, MOVE BACK HOME, avoid sports, take physio, and get a skilled and reputable surgeon from your home country to do it as soon as possible. Don't wait. You can ask your physiotherapist about good surgeons in your area and maybe ask your family doc too. Your family can help you out with your recovery if needed. You may be in for a rough rehab. The Korean method of rehab is VERY DIFFERENT from the Canadian and US method. A proper rehab will ensure optimal success. If you are from the US, Dr. Frank Noyes in Cincinatti is very knowledgeable for treating complex meniscal tears. Check out http://cincinattisportsmed.com I have met him, and he is very famous, but again, I don't actually know if he is "good".

However, meniscal repairs don't seem to be very successful. They seem to break later on. But it is better to try that than to have them cut it out. Maybe they will suggest a menisus transplant. Stay away from that. That is a LAST OPTION. Check out this website http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?board=19.0 for additional info, but if I were you, I would get as many professional opinions as I can about this. An ACL repair can be done many times. But the meniscus cartilage is GOLD and once it is gone, your fate is sealed and a knee replacement is in your future. And knee replacements only have a life-span of about 10 years.

Some questions to ask are:

1) Which side is torn (medial or lateral)? (the medial side carries more load, so it is more important)
2) Is the tear simple or complex? (simple tears may heal without surgery)
3) Is there a non-surgical alternative that is better than having surgery?
4) How much will it cost? (get them to write this number down for you. Make sure EVERYTHING is included in the cost ie procedure, room stay, physio, CPM machine, medication)(they may try to make you pay a different amount later on)
5) How much rehab will I need?
6) How successful is the procedure?
7) If Korean, ask them if they have had a foreign patient before.
8. Ask them how many procedures they have done.
9) Ask if you can talk to former patients that had this procedure done.




If you follow my advice, you will probably have the most success. Trust me. Any more questions, PM me.

To summarize, go back home and have the surgery with a good surgeon as soon as possible.

[SeoulShakin]

kimcheechochy is right on a lot of what he said. It is an important surgery, and what is done can affect your future with regards to what your knee can do.

When I finally got mine diagnosed (general practitioners tried to tell me I had arthritis, but I knew something was majorly wrong), I was put on the emergency wait list for my surgery, and had the operation 3 days later. I lucked out had the head of orthopaedics in the atlantic provinces in Canada do my surgery. He explained about my tear (complex), and why the repair was the best option for me.

The only reason I would trust the top orthopaedic surgeons in Seoul, is because my doctor said that he has trained a few of them in Canada, and then then went back to Korea to work. He said should my knee tear again in Korea, not to worry, because they are very up to date with the latest methods. Mind did re-tear last year while I was here, as I said, but it healed up on it's own. When I was visiting home, and saw my surgeon, he said that it's exactly what he should have done.

I would go to the top 3 hospitals in Seoul, talk to the top surgeons in each hospital, and see what they say. Weigh your options, the pros and cons to each, and what would be the best outcome for you. Also, don't be shy about asking where those doctors where they did their medical studies. Korean's don't tend to question their doctors, but in any large hospital where they deal with foreigners, they should be okay with it, especially if the doctor did their training overseas.

The surgery isn't very invasive, and can be done through arthroscopy, but it CAN have a major efffect on your life, so make sure you do your research. I didn't have time, since I was classed as an emergency (knee kept locking in a semi-bent position, and he said it could have stuck that way if he didn't act fast), but I lucked out and got the top doctor and a good result.

[faster]

[SeoulShakin]

You must have had a removal, rather than a repair then for you to have recovered that quickly?

[faster]